[Exumab]

In the current atmosphere of ever increasing violations of individual rights to privacy combined with the increased trend toward the selling of virtually all private information, one feels that one needs all the privacy protection one can get. With this thought in mind I am asking if anyone knowledgeable in this area can offer "Solid" dependable advice and recommendations on what software( preferably "Freeware" ) is best for this purpose. I thank you in advance for your valued assistance.

[Mumbodog]

Best there is imho

https://www.relakks.com/?cid=gb

I don't trust freeware for this purpose.

.

[Phantom010]

Perhaps Hotspot Shield?

[computerguy1990]

I study in computer security and I would have to say use Tor the commerical stuff just doesnt work and Tor is completely free. I use Tor to stay hidden when conducting online investigations with the commerical stuff everything is tracked right back to the credit card you used to buy it with and it all just points right back to you. Thats my opinion on the matter.

[Phantom010]

But Tor slows browsing speed dramatically.

[Mumbodog]

the commerical stuff just doesnt work

Thats a broad statement.

and yes, Nothing is secure period, there are also weaknesses it TOR. And it stinks for other reasons mentioned above,

.

[computerguy1990]

I like tor ive never seen a problem with internet speeds using it, and yes there are others and tor is my opinion of a good one, and yes each one even commercial ones have problems as I mentioned. There are others such as multi-proxy and A4 proxy also that are good.

[Exumab]

Thank you all for your replies. Quite confusing this! I once tried to use tor but had difficulty getting it to work. At that time had a computer with Win XP. Tor certainly was made to sound like the ultimate software in the online reviews of it. If I recall correctly it was even said to have been barred in one country because the government considered it to be too good.
I tried HotShield as suggested but it installs a popup advertising screen that sits in the middle of everything and has to be closed repeatedly in order to see what your doing. So I abandoned it. I forgot to mention that my browser is Firefox. Does that broaden or narrow the possibilities? I am willing to try Tor if no one can suggest a trusted option.
Because my OS is Vista, the addition of programs can be a very tricky business. It accepts some, makes it impossible to install others and sometimes new general problems arise as a result of installing new software.
Sometimes it seems as though Microsoft has intentionally included elements that cause problems to discourage use of other software. This happens when I install Media Player Classic Homecinema which is a wonderful video player. But Microsoft seems to fight with it as Window Mediaplayer pops up for installation sometimes when I am trying to use Classic.After Classic working perfectly for a while, Vista suddenly claims there's a problem stops it and says I should go online to find the solution.
Anyway, please let me know what version of Tor to try and I'll give it a try. A link would be great. Many thanks again to each of you.

[Phantom010]

Last time I tried Tor, I found it very slow and unstable.

The pop-up ad from Hotspot Shield is a small price to pay for a free, effective and fast VPN.

[computerguy1990]

If you are using firefox try the tor addon one click and your set

[perfume]

Originally Posted by Phantom010

But Tor slows browsing speed dramatically.

Dear Exumab,
I have to agree with phantom 010's ( Miss you,man!) statement, except for the last word of his"dramatically"! Give some, take some!

I must congratulate computerguy1990 for bringing into focus the "Tor+Vidalia Bundle" when you want to remain anonymous! Please don't get ruffled when you read the entire document in this download link : http://www.torproject.org/download.html.en

Right now, i am straddling the fence between Win.XP Pro and Fedora 11 (a Linux flavour). I am using XP just for so long till i can ride fedora well. My switching over to fedora was a token of "protest" at the prices MS has imposed on us reg. Win.7. I must say fedora 11 has been a revelation! 1093 freewares come with it and FF is the default browser there. Sorry for the rambling!! As you can see "Tor" can be used on fedora.

I want you to read this : http://www.torproject.org/

Let's move onto Privoxy, a web proxy which you can download from : http://sourceforge.net/projects/ijbswa/files/Sources/ (preferably download the "stable version"). Privoxy in conjunction with the "Tor bundle" is what you'll want ultimately!

A word of caution though to folks who want to try commercial software---there are many fake and unreliable sites offering proxy services". You have been warned!LoL

[Phantom010]

Hi perfume!

It's been a while. I missed your colourful posts!

Privoxy in conjunction with the "Tor bundle" is what you'll want ultimately!

I believe this will make your browsing experience as exciting as watching a race between a snail and a turtle!

There are literally tens of thousands of free Web proxies out there, about 35 000 to be more precise! Not mentionning an even larger number of free proxy servers and a few paid ones.

Now, I'm a bit surprised that this thread hasn't been closed already since it deals with a delicate matter. Some will use these anonymizers in a legitimate way to surf the Web more safely but others will use them to bypass company, parental or school filters. We have no way of verifying the real intent of the original poster...

[perfume]

Dear phantom010,
Controversial topics have to be dealt with ,if not here then where?We learn as we share our experiences! When i had the Tor+Vidalia+Privoxy Bundle running on the FF browser-- wierd things started to happen when i opened this site. It was asking my username and password, so often, it was getting on my nerves! Regarding me, it's" ETERNAL SUNSHINE ON A SPOTLESS MIND" (BORROWED FROM A MOVIE TITLE).

[computerguy1990]

you have to remember when your running tor your connection is bouncing all over so you look malicious running tor I dont think youtube will even let you in I neve said it was perfect but I like it.